by Anthony Shaw

Created on: August 15, 2010

When making plans to visit Germany, a number of cities immediately come to mind - Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, for example. Bremen is not always a name on people's lists, but it is a sad omission in many respects, as it is an attractive city with a great deal to offer by way of culture and history. It is to be found in the north of the country, about an hour's train journey to the west from Hamburg.

It shares with Berlin and Hamburg the status of being both city and state at one and the same time, though with Bremen, one should include also the neighbouring fishing port of Bremerhaven. It is the smallest of the German states, the city population is just over half-a-million, and its reputation for being independently minded ensures that it does not go unnoticed alongside the country's larger states such as Bavaria or Nordrhein-Westfalen.

Although it is not one of the better known airports in the country, Bremen Airport is well equipped and conveniently positioned close to the city. As might be expected it is well connected to the major international hubs of Frankfurt and Munich. There are also flights from cities in neighbouring countries, such as London, Zurich, Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris and Copenhagen, and there is also a regular service to the southern German city of Stuttgart.

International passengers may, though, choose to arrive at Frankfurt, and use the excellent German railway service to make the journey to Bremen. The train journey between Frankfurt and Bremen takes approximately four to five hours.

The range of hotel rooms in the city is extensive, and offers possibilities which will match every pocketbook. The traveller is advised though to book early, in order to avoid disappointment. The city's online website (available in a whole range of languages, including, of course, English and German) can be of considerable assistance in this respect. If you enter  http://www.bremen-tourismus.de/btz/bremen.cfm, and select the British Union Jack flag to obtain the English language version, you will find the hotel reservation facility immediately available for you to make your booking.

As might be anticipated, like all German cities Bremen has an excellent public transport service. Tourists can obtain free of charge the Bremen ErlebnisCard directly online from the Bremen tourist website address given above, at the airport, or from the tourist information office at the main railway station (Hauptbahnhof) or in the main tourist information

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